Water is THE issue

Sooner or later pretty much everyone everywhere is going to realise that water is the single greatest collective issue that we, as a species, face. Without good fresh water we are, well, simply dead. Weirdly, and worryingly, there are a lot of people out there carrying on as if this were not the case.

The sustainable use of water and worldwide conservation of natural resources are therefore of critical importance to every one of us.

By some estimates, the middle of this decade will see the evidence of water crises around the globe rising to such a peak that only the most stubborn denialists will be left arguing their case.

In current terms, the Darfur, Sudan conflict is at least part driven by water shortages, as are many other regional disputes. There are water problems all over the place, including in Southern Africa, though things vary from season to season. But the clearest indicator of the problem is desertification.

The loss of marginal rural lands to the world’s growing deserts has played a significant role in human history, contributing to the collapse of several major empires – Carthage, Greece, and the Roman Empire, to name but three – as well as causing displacement of local populations across vast swathes of the globe.

It has been estimated that some 10-20% of drylands (areas most affected by desertification) are already degraded, the total area affected by desertification being 6 – 12 million km2. As a consequence, about a billion people are under threat from further imminent desertification.

A measure of how quickly things are moving: the Sahara is expanding south at a rate of up to 48km/year.

Everyone is affected by our collective loss of fresh water, even if we live in water-plentiful areas. At home and work, we can each make an effort to save water. Governments can or should be addressing the problem on a much larger scale. Major corporations like SAB, BASF and Avis, to name but a few, have launched their own initiatives to raise awareness, around water scarcity and quality.

Simply Green, Issue two, 2012

Unfortunately so many people are still against the look of water storage tanks. There are so many ways around it, so many different tanks to choose from. You can really fit it in anywhere. Please consider rainwater harvesting as an option.